Automatic door-fastening mechanism



Feb. 10, 1931. J 5 T'URNBULL 1,791,943

AUTOMATIC DOOR FASTENING MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 26, 1923 Patented Feb. 10,1931 V ewes 51st Joint s. U RnnULii, emsw YORK,.1\I. Y.

AUTOMATIC no'on-rnsrnnme ECHANISM Application filed swe ts 26,1923, Seria 1 1"No. 676,94 7 Renewed .tun e ee, 1930.

Where a pair of doors are employed'to close a doorway, one manner of fa'steningthe doors closedis to fasten one of. the doors closed as b boltin it to a portion of the 7 C: L

door casing, and then to lockthe other door,

as by the'ordinaryhasp and padlock to the first door. a

v The present ll'lVGl'ltlOl'l has for 1ts.ob ect to provide means operated automatically by movement of the second door to and from closed position toiasten andunfasten the first door to and from the door basing on other suitable part of the building. It is further contemplated tliat the doors may be t interconnected'that movement ofone door moves the other, the interconnection being such that the one door movesto substantiall closed position first whereupon itisi fastened. by the later closing ofthe second door and It is first untastened and then opened by open.- ing movementimparted to'the second door. For a more complete understanding oif the invention reterenceinay be had to the ac companying drawings in which Figure 1- is a somewhat diagrammatic-plan 7 illustrating the invention as applied to a pair oi doors hinged to opposite sides o'fa door casing and interconnected *for jointv actuation. V i

Figure 2 is afragmentaryf section through adjacent portions-of the doors and illustrating in solid lines the completely closed ast tions of the doors'andin the dotted lines the positions ofthe parts when the second" door is partly open. ii j Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation-show: Hing the doorsolosed. j

Figure i is a detail section showing the positions of theloek mechanism corresponding to-certain positions of the second door.

Figure 5 is, a View somewhat similar to Figure 2 illustratinga slight modification.

Referring to these figures,- 1 indicates a" pair of door posts defining opposite sides of A the other, they may be connected by means such as shown in Figure 1 comprising'a terent portions of such movements.

2 a doorway. To these posts are hinged apair 1 bracket at fixed to one of the doors, as the door 2,-and having an arm 5 extending therefrom, a bracket 6 fixed to the door 3, and a link 7 pivotallyconnecting the arm 5 with the brackets. With this construction rela tiveveloeities oi the two doors in their opening and closing movements vary during dif- As shown the door starts toclose witha relatively rapid motion while the door 3 is cl0sing with a relatively slow motion. As the door 2 approaches its closed position its rho-- tion becomes relatively slow, while the velocity of the door 3 is relatively great. The door 2 is thus substantially closed while the door 3 is yet somewhat open. A batten strip 8 applied to the outer'edge of the door 3 will then overlap the joint between the doors without interfering in any way with the motion of either. These doors may be locked in closed position, therefore, by fastening the door 2 to any suitableportion of the building, a's tor example, a portion of the door casing, when it is substantially fully closed, then 'coinpletingthe'closing or the door 3 so that the strip 8 overlies the joint between the 'doors, as shown in fulllines in Figure '2, and then looking the doori3 in any suitable mannerto the door 2 as by means of the ordinary vhasp and padlock. i

' According to the present invention means are provided forfastening the door 2to the .casing whenitis substantially injits fully closed position by moyeinentof the door 3 to fully closed position and by which untas tening of the door 2 is efiectedduring the in- .itial opening of the'door 3 before the door 2 has substantially started to open. One

means 7 of accomplishing this comprises a V jlatehbolt 10carr1ed by a casing 11 fixed to thedoor 2, the latch bolt 10 being projectable beyond the edge of the door into a suitable socket 12 in the door casing as shown more particularly in Figures3 and 4-. The bolt 10 Y at its opposite end is provided with a slot 13 in which rides a; crank arm 14 at one end of a rock shaft15. lhis rock'shaft is supported for rotation in a bracket member 16 made 7 fastto the door 2 and the opposite end of the m1; shaft 15 has acrank arm 17 whichpro? jccts beyond the free end of the door 2. The bolt 10 is normally held in retracted position, for this purpose a spring 18 being shown housed within the casing 11. Also for the same purpose a torsion spring 19 may be employed acting on the rock shaft 15 and supported by the bracket 16. Either of the 18 or 19 may be employed alone, if desired, or both may be used in conjunction. aVhen the bolt 10 is in retracted position the crank arm 17 projects outwardly from the door 2, shown in Figure 1 and in dotted lines in Figures 2 and It is'thenin'position to be struck by the innerface of the door 3 after the door 2 has been substantially closed and the door 3 has still some distance to swing in order to bringit to. closed position. This last portion of the closing movement of the door 3, acting on the arm 17, ocks the shaft 15 so that the bolt 10'isprojected into the socket 12 so that the door 2 is fastened closed. hen the door 3 opens the springsfor retracting the latch bolt 10 are permitted to act since the crank arm 17 may take its former position extending outwardly of the door 2, so that during theinitial opening movement of the door 3 the ooor 2 is unlatched, and on further swinging movement of the door 3 the door 2 is opened. it may be desirable to effect a positive release of the latch-1O on initial opening of the door 3. If this is desired a loop 20 may be made fast tothe inner face of the door 3 so positioned relative to the end of the crank arm 17 that as the door contacts therewith, toe end of this crank arm passes within-this loop so that in fully closed position of both doors the end This fully engaged therein. lVhen the door '3 is then given its initial opening movement,thearm 17 is caught by the loop 20 and forced towards latch-releasing position at which time the loop-20 slips over the end of the portion 17 so that-there is no interference with the propermovement of the doors in either their opening. or closing movements.

In case the relative travel of the loop and the member 17 is normally insuiiicientto effect a positive engagement therebetween when the'doors are closed and yet permit their release when the doors start to open, the crank arm 15 may be mounted in an inclined positionon the door 2 in the manner,

shown in Figure 5 so that as the rock shaft turns the portion 17 thereof is given abodily movement transverse to the plane of the closed doors. By this means a relative-motion between the loop and the arm 17 of any desired amplitude may be effected in order to insure the proper coaction of these members.

Having thus described certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications might be made therein re lease said mechanism.

2. In combination with a plurality of doors, a latch carried by one of said doors, an operating member for saidlatch extending 'into the path of motion of the other door to be actuated thereby, vandmeans carried by the other door-for engaging said'member to release said latch on thereverse motion of said other door.

.3. In combination with a pair of doors hinged .atiopposite sides-of a doorway and movable together to close said doorway, a latch boltcarried by one of said doors and engageable with .a fixed element for fastening said door closecha rock shaft carried by said door and having a portion operatively engaging said bolt to project and retract the same by rocking thereof, means normally holding said bolt in retracted position, and an element projecting from said rock shaft into the path ofmotion of the other of said doors as it nears closedposition andmovable by said other door as it closes to rocks-aid shaft tobolt-projecting position.

1.111 combination with a pair of doors hinged at opposite sides of a doorway and movable together to close said doorway, a latch bolt carried'by one of said doors and engageable with a fixed element for fasten ing said door closed, a rock shaft operatively related. to said bolt toproject and retract the same by rocking thereof, means normally holdingsaid-bolt in retracted position, an element projecting from said rock shaft into the path of motion of the other of said doors asit nears closedposition and movable by said other door as it closestoirock said shaft to bolt-projecting position, and means on said other door for engaging said element as said other door starts to open-to rock said shaft tobolt-retracted position.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

7 JOHN S. TURNBULL. 

